The Polynesian Exchange Plus Model Edition

MKPR Branding Agency Sponsored, The Polynesian Exchange Set To Highlight The Culture & Beauty Of This Underrepresented Group In The Fashion Industry

The Polynesian Exchange

PRLog - Jan. 31, 2014 - LOS ANGELES -- A collective of Plus Sized Polynesian models are set to take on the fashion industry and its myopic view of Beauty. This is The Polynesian Exchange, consisting of Veronica Pome’e, a plus size Tongan beauty and owner of Changing In Love, a youth-centered non-profit organization, Samoan Tracy Feagiai McNeal, a distinguished beauty queen who is the 2013 National Miss Plus America Cover Girl, the first crowned Miss Plus USA, she is a 7yr US Navy Veteran and board member of Seattle based "Outreach & Resources Services for Women Veterans"(OARS4VETS.ORG); a non-profit organization that strives to assist women veterans as they transit into civilian life; as well as Priscilla Katerena, a Samoan and Black Curvy personality and owner of MKPR Branding Agency, based in Los Angeles CA.

The three distinguished models will come together to shot The Polynesian Exchange, which will capture their underrepresented beauty, and address the fashion industry’s void of Polynesian models and limited representation of plus size models. The Polynesian Exchange is groundbreaking in that there has never been a photo shoot of this magnitude to include three Polynesian plus size models. The shoot being sponsored and produced by MKPR Branding Agency with After Curve capturing live footage will feature moderator Cherise Charleswell, a Los Angeles-based personality of Caribbean descent, Aida Cosmetics, Hair Confidence by Bliss, and Lucy's Island Fashion & Trends (LIFT). The shoot will be shot by Kem West of Kem West Photography and will highlight the cultural aesthetics of the Polynesian culture, as well as capture a number of fashion-forward looks that can be use to accentuate the beauty of full figured women.

The three pioneering models had the following to share about the shoot:

Priscilla shares, “This is a love project, dedicated to my grandmother who raised me on the island of America Samoa and to my lovely mom, and as a biracial plus model, I don’t see many Polynesian models, so when the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t pass it up. It will serve as a platform to touch young Polynesian girls who aspire to model or be in entertainment, by showing them that they can do it, because we are doing it.”

Tracy echoed these sentiments with the following, “I wanted to give our Polynesian girls a “face”, because our women lack the same role models and visibility that Polynesian men have (as movie stars, football players, and more). It’s time for the world to see all the different ways that our Polynesian is beautiful.”

Veronica adds, “The Polynesian Exchange is an innovative way to educate on culture while interfusing our passion to express our message. It begins with understanding that we have to know where we come from to understand where to go.”